The present invention relates to apparatus for processing customer films and prints in photographic processing laboratories. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for automatic processing of films, prints and containers and for introduction of films and associated prints into the corresponding containers so that the resulting packages are ready to be picked up by or delivered or shipped to dealers or customers.
It is known to subdivide exposed and developed customer films into sections of preselected length (each such section may consist of four, five or six film frames), to subdivide a web of exposed and developed photographic paper into prints, and to assemble the prints with corresponding film sections. The web of exposed and developed photographic paper and the films are provided with indicia which are detected by monitoring devices serving to transmit signals which regulate the operation of devices which sever the web and the films as well as to furnish signals denoting the last print of a customer order. As a rule, the web is exposed to light in an automatic copying machine which receives signals indicating the optimum adjustment of exposure controls for the reproduction of images on successive film frames and the number of prints to be made of each image. The operation of a modern copying machine is automated to such an extent that the machine can turn out large numbers of prints per unit of time and requires little or no supervision. As a rule, several exposed but undeveloped customer films are spliced together end-to-end to form a long strip which is caused to pass through a developing machine. The strip is thereupon transported through the copying machine in synchronism with a web of photographic paper and the machine exposes successive frames of films forming the strip onto successive fields of the paper web. During copying, the rear side of the web is provided with indicia (e.g., in the form of dark spots) which identify the corresponding prints. After the web has been caused to pass through a developing machine, the indicia are decoded by a detector serving to control the operation of the severing device which subdivides the web into discrete prints by severing the web midway across the frame lines between neighboring prints. The strip of spliced-together films is subdivided into shorter strips or sections in a similar way subsequent to transport through the copying machine and, if necessary, for renewed transport through such machine for the making of prints with a different setting of exposure controls if the originally prepared prints are unsatisfactory. The sections of customer films are thereupon assembled in flat pockets.
The next stage of processing includes assembling the film sections with the corresponding prints and calculating the cost of completion of the customer order. The calculation depends on the total number and size of prints. This stage of processing, as well as the stage of assembling the film sections with corresponding prints, takes up much more time than the making of prints and/or the development of films or photographic paper, even if the assembling of prints with film sections and the calculation of the cost of customer orders are performed by automatic or semiautomatic equipment. As a rule, the film sections and the prints are fed to a station where an attenedant observes the operation of the apparatus and carries out certain steps. Reference may be had to the commonly owned copending application Ser. No. 669,500 filed Mar. 23, 1976 by Friedrich Hujer et al. Since the length of intervals which are needed for completion of a cycle depends on the length of the interval which is required for completion of the longest step, the output of the apparatus can be increased only if the interval required for completion of the slowest step is reduced, preferably to match the intervals which are required for the completion of the other step or steps. In the case of automatic film processing apparatus, the slowest step is that which involves the assembly of film sections with prints and calculation of the cost of successive transactions. This is due to the fact that the just mentioned steps still involve at least some manual work.